Shloka 12
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 165 — Bhīṣma’s Appraisal and Karṇa’s Rebuttal (भीष्म–कर्ण विवादः)
व्यलीकं पाण्डवेयेन भीमसेनानुजेन ह । दिशो विजयता राजन् श्वेतवाहेन भारत
vyalīkaṃ pāṇḍaveyena bhīmasenānujena ha | diśo vijayatā rājan śvetavāhena bhārata ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai Raja, wahai Bhārata! Arjuna, adik Bhīmasena, sang Pāṇḍava berkereta dengan kuda-kuda putih, dahulu pada masa penaklukan penjuru negeri telah menimpakan penghinaan kepada kaum Trigarta. Mengingat permusuhan lama itu, para kesatria itu akan memasuki medan laga dengan tekad yang teguh dan bertempur dengan sungguh-sungguh.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Past actions—especially humiliations inflicted during political conquest—create durable enmities that resurface in war; leaders must recognize how earlier choices shape later conflicts and motivations.
Bhīṣma explains to the king that Arjuna, famed for his white steeds, had earlier offended the Trigartas during a conquest tour; that remembered hostility now fuels determined participation in the coming battle.